A Closer Look at the Yardstick: A New Discount Rate Measure with Precision and Range

In intertemporal choice research, choice tasks (i.e., choosing between $80 today and $100 in a year) are often used to elicit a discount rate. The discount rate derived from a choice task, however, is largely restricted by the granularities and ranges of the questions asked. We examined this restriction in three popular discount rate measurements using simulations and experiments, and we propose an alternative procedure (Three‐option Adaptive Discount rate measure (ToAD)), which is capable of measuring a wide range of discount rates (from approximately .035% to 350 000% annual percentage rate) with high precision using 10 questions, in under a minute. ToAD can be easily implemented in online surveys (i.e., Qualtrics). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cross-cultural issues in the treatment of intractable anorexia nervosa

This paper presents a case of intractable anorexia nervosa in a child burdened beyond her capabilities by unresolved conflicts in a parent. The dynamics will be assessed in the context of open systems theory of family function to suggest that the mother's conflicts, fixated at the time she left her native country, and her attempts to adapt to a new one, combined with other family members' failure to understand or appreciate the mother's cultural roots, interrupted the patient's normal maturation/development. The paper also presents a successful course of treatment of the binational anorexic girl, using a comprehensive inpatient program, emphasizing intensive family therapy with an open systems theory framework.The earlier version of this paper was presented at the Sixth World Congress of the International College of Psychosomatic Medicine, Montreal, Canada, September, 1981. Helpful comments by Regina Casper, M.D., helpful discussion by Kenneth Calestro, M.A., and support and encouragement by Katharine N. Dixon, M.D. are greatly appreciated.     

Group performance as a function of group type,task condition and scholastic level

Studied performance on a multiple-solution anagrams task by two-member nominal, pseudo, quasi, and real groups in relation to task conditions (set versus nonset) and school grades (10th, 11th, and 12th). Nominal groups were made up of individuals working alone. Pseudo groups were made up of members sitting together but working independently for individual scores. Quasi groups were made up of members who were working together for a common or shared goal but were not allowed to communicate with each other. Real groups were the usual teams of freely interacting and mutually consulting members. Five words were presented to the subjects in the set condition (unlike in the nonset co ndition) in order to channelize their problem-solving activity in particular directions. The subjects were 192 male American high school students. The most important finding was that both nominal and pseudo groups produced more errors than real groups. Also the set condition generated more errors than the nonset condition. These and other findings were discussed and interpreted in the context of previous research.     

Gender differences in anger and fear as a function of situational context

Gender differences in the reported intensity of anger and fear toward hypothetical males and females were explored in three age groups (6–12 year olds, 14–16 year olds, and adults over 30) located in two different geographic areas. The samples were primarily Caucasian and included a wide range of socioeconomic groups. Subjects reported on the intensity of feelings elicited by characters in an emotion story task in which three aspects of situational context were varied: the gender of the story characters eliciting the feeling (all situations), the stereotypic gender-typed or cross-gender behavior of the eliciting character (four situations), and the affective quality of the situations (four situations). Across all three age groups, situations that were frightening, anger-provoking, or that depicted stereotypic male-negative behavior elicited the most consistent subject gender and character gender differences in reported fear and anger. Relative to males, females of all ages reported more fear in frightening, anger-producing, and male-negative stereotypic situations. Males were reported to be more frightening and anger-producing than were females in those same situations. The data also suggested that with development, females reported less intense fear of females, while males reported less intense fear of males.This research was supported by a Gender Roles grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. We appreciate their support. We would also like to thank the public school systems of Milton, Norwood, and Watertown, Massachusetts, and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Finally, we would like to thank Lance Davidow, John Houlihan, and Theodore Cross for statistical consultation and/or computer programming, as well as all the parents, children, and adolescents who participated in the study.     

Political Contacts: Analyzing the Role of Similarity in Theories of Prejudice

Over the last 50 years, many theories of prejudice reduction in social psychology have embraced the premise that intergroup contact allows people to recognize similarities between themselves, and that this perceived similarity overwhelms the social distance associated with intergroup antipathy. Given the mixed empirical evidence, however, we suggest that the positive effects of perceived similarity have been overemphasized. Although similarity may be sufficient for improved intergroup relations, the relationship between similarity and intergroup relations is far more complex than the literature usually suggests. Moreover, studying difference in intergroup contexts may yield new ways to resolve intergroup conflict and address group inequalities.     

A Survey of Genetic Counselors' Use of Informed Consent Documents for Prenatal Genetic Counseling Sessions

Thirty six members of the Prenatal Diagnosis Special Interest Group of the National Society of Genetic Counselors were interviewed about their use of informed consent documents for the genetic counseling component of their prenatal genetic counseling sessions and their perceptions of the utility and feasibility of such documents. Major findings include (1) None of the genetic counselors currently used a consent document describing the genetic counseling component of the session itself; (2) Only three participants stated that they had ever used an informed consent document for this component of the session; (3) They disagreed about the importance and usefulness of such a document; (4) There was variability in their reported likelihood of using a document if one were available; (5) There was a fair amount of agreement about the types of information to include on an informed consent document for genetic counseling; over half of the sample endorsed 8 of 10 topics; and (6) Participants identified 10 obstacles to using such a document. Recommendations for genetic counseling practice, policy, and research are given.     

Marion Woodman: An Embodied Life

Marion Woodman, internationally recognized author and speaker, died in July 2018 at the age of 89, leaving a rich legacy. A distinguished Jungian analyst, she was a pioneer in applying Jung’s principles to eating disorders, addictions, and the body. The author reflects on key influences affecting Woodman’s journey with the Self, as well as her extension of Jung’s thoughts on the feminine and active imagination with the body. Marion’s life can be seen to fulfill Jung’s concept of the “experiment of one’s life,” and thus is an example of a new consciousness seeking to be born—especially in the realm of the long-repressed feminine. The BodySoul Rhythms? program became the culmination of Marion’s research and application of Jung’s understanding of the basic unity of psyche and soma. These embodied practices support the integration of both into consciousness and promote a deeper relationship with the Self.     

Meta-analysis of the relationship between risk perception and health behavior: the example of vaccination.

BACKGROUND: Risk perceptions are central to many health behavior theories. However, the relationship between risk perceptions and behavior, muddied by instances of inappropriate assessment and analysis, often looks weak. METHOD: A meta-analysis of eligible studies assessing the bivariate association between adult vaccination and perceived likelihood, susceptibility, or severity was conducted. RESULTS: Thirty-four studies met inclusion criteria (N = 15,988). Risk likelihood (pooled r = .26), susceptibility (pooled r = .24), and severity (pooled r = .16) significantly predicted vaccination behavior. The risk perception-behavior relationship was larger for studies that were prospective, had higher quality risk measures, or had unskewed risk or behavior measures. CONCLUSIONS: The consistent relationships between risk perceptions and behavior, larger than suggested by prior meta-analyses, suggest that risk perceptions are rightly placed as core concepts in theories of health behavior.     

Emotions and preventive health behavior: worry, regret, and influenza vaccination.

The role of worry, regret, and perceived risk in preventive health decisions was explored in a longitudinal questionnaire study on influenza vaccination among 428 university employees. The study yielded 3 main findings. First, ratings of anticipated worry and regret were stronger predictors of vaccination than perceived risk and mediated the effect of risk on vaccination. Second, the anticipated level of emotions differed systematically from experienced emotions, such that vaccinated individuals anticipated more regret and less worry than they actually experienced. Third, anticipated and experienced emotions had implications for subsequent vaccination decisions. Those who did not vaccinate in the 1st year but had high levels of worry and regret were likely to be vaccinated the following year.